Big-screen blind spot: 'Groundhog Day'

Once in a while, a movie slips under your radar. For about, oh, 20 years. In 'Big-screen blind spot,' we sit down with those 'classic' movies everybody but us has seen and give them the nostalgia critic treatment.

Confession: Until this week, I had never seen "Groundhog Day," the 1993 Bill Murray film that has become so beloved and influential it's been placed in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. You know, alongside "Citizen Kane" and "The Godfather."

Had I seen it in 1993 at the age of 8: I wouldn't have been interested in it. The film's humor comes from Murray's Heisman-like ability to express himself non-verbally and the message of a self-centered weatherman having to relive the same day over and over again until he stops being such a selfish person and changes his tune. Also, at that age, if it wasn't the Green Ranger, Ricky Steamboat or something in the process of exploding, I wouldn't have cared about it.

Now: I love it. Quite frankly, I'm upset it took me this long to see this movie. It is hilarious. From the Ned Ryerson character to Murray's character adapting his repeated days to learn French and the piano, the movie literally makes something out of nothing with every minute. His frequent attempts to kill himself notwithstanding, the film is also a pretty quality love story, if a little unorthodox. One thing though: Did anyone else ponder how to approach this situation? Not saying I would totally lose it, but I have a feeling the average person would go nuts before realizing that true love with Andie MacDowell is the solution to your problem, right?